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 The Governor, an American businessman, philanthropist and
Director Emeritus and former Chairman of the Chicago Public
Education Fund would offer sage words he received on education, work
and life. Governor Rauner said his message would be “short and
sweet.” He wanted to speak about three people who influenced and
helped shape his life.
First he spoke of his grandfather, a Swedish immigrant, a dairyman
in Wisconsin, and a factory worker. He taught his grandson three
things. “Work hard, give everything you do a 100 percent effort. Get
a great education because that is the key to enhancing your future,
and make sure to give back to your community.”
Rauner encouraged the students to follow those same guides, to work
hard, to get their education, and to especially give back to their
community. He talked about serving through elected office saying it
was a privilege to serve, and he encouraged the students to think
about serving in some elected capacity as well.
The second person who influenced Rauner was his boss at his first
job. He said the first lesson to come from his boss, “Every day
treat other people the way you want to be treated.” He said this was
the key to a good life.
Rauner said, “Another thing he taught me, ‘He said, “Bruce, your
reputation is your most important asset.” He added, “It takes years
and years to build a good reputation; it takes a few moments to tear
it down. Whatever you choose to do in your life, your reputation is
the key to your success.”
And finally that first boss taught him, “Nothing great is
accomplished alone. It is always about bringing together people with
different skill sets to solve a problem.” He encouraged the
graduates always to be part of a good team, “Be around people who
are very talented, have integrity, and that you can learn from.”
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The last person Governor Rauner spoke of was an entrepreneur who he
worked with as a venture capitalist. He said the man was a Greek
immigrant who had enjoyed success, but not without failure. He had
started five or six successful businesses, but he had also had
almost as many dismal failures. But in spite of the failures he
never gave up on himself.
That man told Rauner to first “Rush slowly”; meaning to work toward a goal with
a sense of urgency, but at the same time with careful thought, paying attention
to detail.
The second lesson is “persistence.” Don’t give up; don’t let the failures slow
you down. Rauner said, “In this is life, whether it is big scale or small scale,
you’re going to have failures. You’re going to have bumps in the road. Consider
every failure a learning opportunity and don’t let it slow you down.”
As he came to the end of his comments, he told the graduates he was excited for
them and their future. He concluded, “My role as governor is to work for you, to
create an environment here in Illinois so that whatever you chose to be, you can
do it in Illinois.”
[Nila Smith]
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